Python, JavaScript, and Java are the most popular programming languages of 2024

Python came out on top in an index highlighting the most popular programming languages of 2024.

Taking a page from political analysts’ aggregation of survey data, ZDNet Senior Editor David Gewirtz set out to create a more accurate snapshot of the most popular languages in the industry by aggregating raw data from nine different language popularity indexes, including TIOBE and the PopularitY of Programming Language (PYPL) index. The result was the creation of the ZDNet Index of Programming Language Popularity, which contains 19 languages in total.

In a September article analyzing his findings, Gewirtz said it is no surprise that Python scored the highest on the popularity index, referring to the high ranker as an “elegant language.”

“It’s simple yet enormously powerful and has become the go-to language for AI and data scientists, as well as general web development,” Gewirtz wrote.

JavaScript and Java rounded out the top of the list with Python, while R, Dart, and Swift capped off the bottom.

Shell, Lua, and HTML/CSS made notable improvements in their rankings between 2016 and 2024, with Shell moving six rankings up the list in the timeframe.

“Forms of shell programming exist for all major operating systems, but it’s the need for more and more automation and orchestration in complex systems environments that’s keeping these old school tools relevant and constantly evolving,” Gewirtz wrote about the programming language in a separate story for ZDNet, which he said has “been around since the dawn of time.”

Swift had the largest decrease in rankings from 2016 to 2024. In 2016, the language, which is commonly associated with programming iPhone apps, ranked #8 on the popularity list. In 2024, Swift ranked last (#19) on the list. Gewirtz noted that the declining placement does not indicate a change in popularity of iPhone Operating System apps, but rather a reflection of growing alternatives for the language such as Flutter, an open-source UI software development kit created by Google, and the Unity game development platform.

Well, now what? For those looking to learn one programming language, Gewirtz recommended that they focus their efforts on the top three languages on the 2024 index, a shift from his previous recommendation of the C-family of programming languages (C++, C, Objective-C, and C#).

For those looking to break into the programming space, Gewirtz suggested learning multiple languages and frameworks to be successful.

“Being comfortable in multiple languages and frameworks is important because the computer industry is changing so much,” Gewirtz wrote. “So, learning how to learn languages is as important as learning a language—and the best way to do that is to learn more than one.”